A Word Please

I was recently asked a question that made me pause and really consider my answer. The question, and my answer, made me wonder – What do you get out of fiction?

What would you like your readers to take away from your books?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. I could list a dozen things I’d love readers to take away from any one of my books. Each has underlying themes, sometimes intentional, sometimes not. While important aspects of the various plots, I hope these issues never come across as preachy or overpowering. The best themes are always subtle.

The reason this is a difficult question for me is because fiction is a personal venture. Each reader approaches a book from a different vantage point. Their own experiences in life give different shades of color to all they see, hear, and read. Telling someone what I’d like him/her to get from a book takes away their crayons. I want them to color the pictures along with me.

People who know me won’t be surprised to learn I’m interested in social justice – or the lack thereof. These issues pop up in much of my writing. For instance, with Beyond Salvation a reader might rethink the homeless situation here in the U.S. With Enemies and Playmates, a reader might get a different perspective on domestic abuse.

Into The Light might be less subtle in its themes because they are woven into Max’s character and his journey. To follow Max’s story means taking in and examining the things he learns about himself. In part, this book is about loss, regret, and what happens when we allow other people to shape our opinions of ourselves. I would love for readers to learn from Max and maybe shed a bit of the baggage we all carry with us.

That being said, the primary goal of fiction should always be entertainment. Ultimately, my answer is simple: I hope my readers take away a smile and a feeling of time well spent.

Unfinished projects drive me crazy. Yet, I have drawers and folders full of them. I’m referring to writing projects – novels in the making. I’m on a mission to clean out my desk, to finish the unfinished. But, now I’m wondering, is that always a good idea? Maybe it’s collecting dust in a drawer for a reason.

I typically tell people that Enemies and Playmates is the first book I wrote. That’s technically not true. It’s the first book I published, but not the first book I wrote. The first one is called Secrets. I wrote it at about the same time as the first draft of Enemies and Playmates. In fact, at one point I was working on them both together. I don’t even remember which one I finished first. But Secrets is the first one I started.

The original manuscript has been sitting in a box for roughly 18 years. A few weeks ago, in my mission to clear the clutter and unfinished from my life, I pulled it out of its hiding spot in my desk. In one of my spontaneous moments, I decided to give it a final edit and publish it. After all, the manuscript is complete. It only needs a little fine-tuning.

Now I’m about 60 pages in and I’m remembering why it remained sitting in my desk all these years. No, the story isn’t bad. And, while I can see where my writing has grown (thankfully!), it’s far from awful and doesn’t require massive editing. The problem? Content. This story is dark. Yes, most of my writing ventures into the dark side of life. This one, though, tackles an issue some people will find offensive. I know that without question. You see, Enemies and Playmates is about domestic abuse and I occasionally get hammered for that. I don’t flinch from writing the truth. Readers need to see it in order to feel it. And I won’t apologize for writing about an issue that needs to be addressed.

If domestic abuse is such a hot topic, I know Secrets will have more than a few people screaming at me. Why? Well, again, this book addresses abuse. (And, no, I don’t care to examine why abuse is at the core of my first two books.) You’re probably thinking, Spill it already. So here we go. Secrets is about a woman raised by parents who cannot love her properly. Her mother doesn’t love her enough, her father loves her too much. His love turns to the physical. Yes, okay, I’ll spell it out. This book touches on incest.

Are those horrified gasps I hear?

I’ve been taming it down, editing the content. But not completely. I won’t remove it all. I can’t. That’s the story and I can’t flinch from the truth of it.

As I’m editing, I continue through a back and forth yo-yo feeling. I should stuff it back in the drawer. This is too dark to share. I should continue on, because the story is valid. Worthy. Back and forth I go.

In the end, I’m choosing to ignore that nagging voice telling me not to create waves. If I’d listened to that voice, most of my choices in life would have been different. I’ve always lived my life on the outside edge. Why stop now?

Yes, Secrets is dark. The content might make readers flinch. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a story of hope, endurance, love, vengeance, trust. It’s a story that, for reasons I might never understand, needed to be told. This story was born on its own. I didn’t decide to write it. This one spoke to me and, in many ways, wrote itself. So, to hell with the noise it will make. I’ll dust it off, shape it up, and send it off to the world. Whether it’s read or not will then be up to you.

This month, I have 2 giveaways on my site!

My April Giveaway is winner’s choice! One winner will receive a signed, print copy of any of my eight titles. You can read excerpts from all the books and enter on my contest page: www.QuietFuryBooks.com/contests.html

Next, my BestsellerBound friends and I are having a BestsellerBound eBook Bonanza! We’re giving away 25 ebooks! We’ve broken it down into 5 prize groups of 5 ebooks each. Here’s a quick rundown:

Prize Group 1:
No Justice by Darcia Helle
The Dream by Maria Savva
Trevor’s Song by Susan Helene Gottfried
The Guardian’s Apprentice by J. Michael Radcliffe
Grey Engines by Gareth Lewis

Prize Group 2:
The Other Room by James Everington
Nexus Point by Jaleta Clegg
The Cutting Edge by Darcia Helle
The GNAW Project by Cynthia Meyers-Hanson
Broken Worlds by Gareth Lewis

Prize Group 3:
The Shelter by James Everington
Allegiances by Gareth Lewis
Into The Light by Darcia Helle
The Choice by Sydney S. Song
Second Chances by Maria Savva

Prize Group 4:
Recall! Return of the IRR by Doug DePew
To Hunt Monsters by Gareth Lewis
Miami Snow by Darcia Helle
Echo Falls by Jaime McDougall
Mom’s on the Roof and I Can’t Get Her Down by Cynthia Meyers-Hanson

Prize Group 5:
Blade Sworn by Gareth Lewis
Bloodstone: The Guardian’s Curse by J. Michael Radcliffe
His Story by Cynthia Meyers-Hanson
Hit List by Darcia Helle
Surreal – The Hell in the Family by Sydney S. Song

You can find more information on each book and author, and enter this giveaway on its contest page: www.QuietFuryBooks.com/bsbgiveaway.html

** These are 2 separate contest pages. I created a new contest page specifically for the BsB giveaway. You can enter both! **

Good luck!

It’s Read an E-Book Week! This event is a celebration of ebooks, designed to promote the advantages of electronic reading. You can find thousands of deals, from cheap to free! For information and links, go to the Read an E-Book Week website: www.ebookweek.com

Another site celebrating Read an E-Book Week is Smashwords. You can search for all the deals and download as many freebies as you like! To get you started, here’s a list of some great, free ebooks by BestsellerBound authors:

In a flooded world only small peaks dot the seas, with civilization confined to waterborne cities. Society is ruled by tyrannous bosses, enforcing their will with an army of thugs and Stoneweavers, those able to use the remnants of magic. Resources are conserved by selling the poor into slavery. With such a cleansing due, what danger do an escaped slave and thief pose to this fragile society?
www.smashwords.com/books/view/32209

Rax Darkthorn was the greatest Knowhound in Nexi, the thief-city, and one of the few to ever escape it. When a friend dies, he returns to learn what can kill a god, even one reduced to selling miracles on the Street of Lost Gods. A 7000 word fantasy short story.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/100727

BE inspired- by other people’s tragedies turned victories with HIS help- shared in this collection! This book shares miracle encounters, Christian near death experiences (NDE), and other Heavenly revelations. Meet some angels as well as real life people as they take you through this book on their inspirational journeys!
www.smashwords.com/books/view/69525

This project becomes a vehicle to publicize the plight of some USA kids that need free or reduced breakfasts as well as lunches and dinners. *** My students at SHS call their efforts The GNAW Project, which stands for Granola bars, Nuts, Apple sauce, and Water to be purchased and given to their peers in need.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/109473

A collection of seven short stories, each one based on a different colour of the rainbow. The stories are diverse in style, and the characters, although fictional, are true-to-life. There is something for everyone in this inspired collection.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/113118

James has a top job, dream house, two healthy children, and a wife who always stands by him. These things, James can rely on, until one day, when everything changes, and he realises that he has spent so long looking towards the future, that he has neglected the present. Pamela has taken their two children and left him, leaving nothing but a brief note. How far will James go to save his marriage?
www.smashwords.com/books/view/89923

A seventy-five year old secret waits in a lovely old portrait studio, at the end of a street in New York City’s Lower East Side. It is a secret that drove to madness a renowned photographer, ‘Papa’ Menashe Reisman – and left him to waste and die in his own studio – haunted by every photograph he tries to take. A young Dutch girls haunts those photos. A girl who should not have died.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/24533

While the Earth wonders at the spectacular aurora that suddenly appears, a single physicist struggles to understand why every satellite in orbit has just moved. Only after exhausting work does he realize; he has witnessed a wandering black hole, it could undo the very structure of the Solar System itself. But when? What damage will it do before it meets its own end?
www.smashwords.com/books/view/25033

Eighteenth century priest, Furio Novia, hates sculptor, Antonio Lisi. But, he secretly desires Lisi’s daughter, Anoria. She may be the last great Italian Renaissance master sculptor – she can feel figures in untouched marble, but has never carved. When she learns what she can do, she also learns of Novia’s desires; he will do anything to possess her – she will nearly kill him to remain free.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/24636

They came from cities, farms, and towns all across the country. They had long hair, beards, and bad attitudes. They dropped everything in January of 1991 and reported as the president ordered. They were not happy about it one bit. In this true story, the author relates his experiences as one of 20,000 people recalled to active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm. This is exactly how it was.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/80793

A band’s demo tape is intended to introduce listeners to their music. Likewise, this collection of short pieces allows readers into the fictional world of Trevor Wolff and his band, ShapeShifter. From the day Trevor and Mitchell meet to the pinnacle of success, these loosely linked stories will let you hang with a rock band. Vive la Trevolution!
www.smashwords.com/books/view/3815

The Demo Tapes: Year 1 introduced the reading public to ShapeShifter and the two men behind this fictional band: Trevor Wolff and Mitchell Voss. The Demo Tapes: Year 2 brings you more of the short fiction that brings these people to vivid life. Year 2 delves more deeply into love, friendships, and the inside workings of ShapeShifter. Vive la Trevolution!
www.smashwords.com/books/view/3909

Lynne’s dad often takes her shopping with him at a high-end men’s boutique. Lynne likes to sit at the feet of the mannequin in the window and dream of what he’d be like if he were real. One day, a stranger walks in. For Lynne, nothing will be the same ever again.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/52422

Stranded on a primitive world, betrayed by her crew, facing death at the hands of the natives, hunted by drug smugglers, Captain Dace has one hope of survival – convince the Patrol agent trying to kill her that she’s innocent. But on Dadilan, no one is innocent.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/10672

Author Sharon E. Cathcart presents ten short stories of various genres, each taking place in a different location. With subject matter ranging from paranormal to historical fiction, urban fantasy to literary fiction, there is something in this sampler for everyone.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/88235

Author Sharon E. Cathcart started 2010 with two resolutions: take more exercise and learn French cookery. Instead, she found herself on a journey of personal growth as she rose to unanticipated challenges.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/39199

During her teenage years, author Sharon E. Cathcart dreamed of working in the music business. She lived that dream for seven years, beginning at age 18. Unfortunately, she learned that sometimes dreams turn quickly to nightmares.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/29513

Author Sharon E. Cathcart (“In The Eye of The Beholder,” “Les Pensees Dangereuses”) presents a sampler of essays and short fiction. The collection features “Heart of Stone,” a short story never previously published.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/15991

Part autobiography and part inspiration, “Les Pensees Dangereuses” (French for “dangerous thoughts”) is a series of essays on friendship, spirituality, education, bullying, animals, clinical depression and more. Author Sharon E. Cathcart (“In The Eye of The Beholder”) shares her thoughts, including an unfinished autobiography, “Unmasking My Phantoms: My Dance With Madness,” in this new book.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/4319

When French equestrian Claire Delacroix loses her fiance in a tragic accident, she comes to live at the Paris Opera during its 1890s heyday. Whilst working at the opera, she meets a mysterious, masked stranger: Erik. Is it possible that the two of them will heal the pain of each other’s past?
www.smashwords.com/books/view/2163

Our 3 BestsellerBound Anthologies, which are always free:

www.smashwords.com/books/view/62029

www.smashwords.com/books/view/78449

www.smashwords.com/books/view/107763

And finally, a couple of my own:

Quiet Fury is a state of being that we’ve all experienced; calm on the surface, rage bubbling underneath. These stories explore each individual’s breaking point. Which will win, the Quiet or the Fury?
www.smashwords.com/books/view/100003

When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser’s world might just shatter. Lauren Covington’s family maintains a grand facade that hides the private abuse they suffer at the hands of her father. Jesse Ryder, a private detective, steps into that world and, in the process, falls in love with Lauren. Together, Lauren and Jesse dodge death and expose the truth behind the facade.
www.smashwords.com/books/view/3957

Thanks for reading.

I’m giving away books! I’m taking part in the With Love Valentine’s Day Blog Hop! I know, I’m not exactly a romance author but I still enjoy playing cupid now and then. This is a huge event, with 263 authors giving away prizes! Want to know what you can win here? Of course you do. That’s why you’re here.

Grand prize: A signed, print copy of any one of my eight novels.
Five more winners will receive an ebook copy of any one title.

Yes, all prizes are winner’s choice! Click on the cover to read the description and an excerpt:

Now we need rules. Let’s call them guidelines. That’s a much nicer word. Here we go:

1. This giveaway is open to everyone 16 and older, everywhere in the world
2. To enter, leave a comment here along with a valid email address
3. Enter once per person
4. Leave your comment between 7:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, February 11 and midnight EST on Tuesday, February 14

That’s it! I’ll use random.org to choose the winners. I’ll notify everyone via email, so please keep an eye on your spam folder. Spam filters sometimes like to kick me out of inboxes.

Once you’ve left a comment here (go ahead, don’t be shy), be sure to take a look at the event page to find all the other participating authors. All the details are here: http://thebloghopspot.com/event-page

Good luck!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Back in late September, I set the ebook version of my novel Enemies and Playmates as a free download. I did this as part of my tribute to Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, which is the month of October, and had planned to raise it back to its normal price afterward. The incredible response I received stunned me and I decided to leave it free through the holidays. In the three months Enemies and Playmates has been free, it’s been downloaded more than 80,000 times!

I know it’s a freebie, but that’s a lot of people who now have my book in hand. (Okay, I’ll admit it. 80,000 paid downloads would be even better! )

Enemies and Playmates is my first book and I’m honored that so many people are taking the time to download and read it. I wrote this one during a tumultuous time in my life. The writing process was my salvation and knowing my words are touching others, some also in difficult situations, is humbling. Readers have written to tell me what the book meant to them, how they connected with certain characters. I’ve gotten to know abuse survivors, whose strength is an inspiration. Writing is a solitary act. But once we send our words out to the world, and those words touch someone deep inside, we’ve connected. Even if author and reader never meet, never speak, never exchange a word, something has passed between us. When someone takes the time to write and let me know what a book of mine has meant to him/her, that’s a feeling I don’t have words for.

While I love when a reader takes the time to send me an email, I don’t typically seek out and read my reviews on Amazon. The good ones lift my mood for a few hours. The bad ones can devastate me for days. And, while I admit to being a little crazy at times, I am not so delusional that I think everyone will love my writing. As the reviews built up with all the downloads, I gave in to temptation and read a few of them. Many people loved the book. Others hated it. I wanted to know what sparked the hatred. After reading some of them, I have to say I’m still not sure.

One review stated that Jesse, the “hero” of the story, wasn’t believable because he drank Coke. Umm… What? This particular reader said all he drank was soft drinks and that no hunky hero was believable if he drank Coke. I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the gist of it. This review made me laugh. First, I find it absurd to think that all “heroes” have to drink alcohol in order to be believable. Is that the society we live in? All cool people must get trashed? Second, and this is the part that made me laugh, in the opening scene, Jesse is at a nightclub and he is drinking rum and Coke. Did this reader miss the opening scene? Further in the book, he drinks a beer with a friend. In another scene he is drinking wine with dinner. Jesse is not a drunk but he does drink alcohol in the appropriate scenes. Yes, he does, on occasion, drink soft drinks without the alcohol. Like while he’s working. Maybe those were the only scenes this reader read?

Another reader gave me a bad review because he/she didn’t like the abuse in the book. I… I’m not sure what to say to that one. It’s difficult to write about abuse without, well, writing about the abuse. That the book is about domestic violence is clear in the description. So, I ask, why read and review a book that is clearly about a topic you do not wish to read about?

Of course there are others who simply don’t like the way I write or the characters who live in my head. Thankfully, there are many more who do.

Here’s the free download for your Kindle:

When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser’s world might just shatter.

Amidst devastating loss, betrayal, and her father’s destructive pursuit of Jesse, Lauren finds the trust and love she had always longed for.

Thanks for reading.

Whether you worship God, Allah, Mother Earth or nothing at all, the holiday season has the same basic meaning – love and be kind to one another, and give what you can to those who are less fortunate. We shouldn’t need a holiday to remind us. We should behave this way all year.

Enough said. I shall not step up on my soapbox today. It’s the holidays!

I am excited to be helping Santa out this year. I don’t have a lot to give. (In fact, my bank would probably argue that I have nothing. ) But even the little stuff counts, right? In my role as Santa’s Helper, I need your help. What I have to give is books. And I’m looking for someone who loves to read and is in need of a boost this holiday season. Here’s the deal…

Are you having a difficult year and can’t afford to give gifts to all the people you love? Do you know someone who doesn’t have much, who probably won’t get much, and you’d like to make that person smile? Do any of these people love to read? If so, tell me about them! Choose one person and tell me why you think he/she deserves a gift. You don’t have to give me a lot of personal details. Maybe you lost your job and can’t afford to buy your best friend something. Or you’re buried beneath a heap of medical bills (I can relate to that!) and you need a gift for your child’s teacher. It could be someone you know who lost a job, a house, is going through a divorce, and that person is special to you. Tell me why!

I’ll pick two ‘winners’ from the comments. If your nomination is picked, I’ll send you an email requesting the person’s name and mailing address, as well as your choice of one of my eight titles for that person. I’ll wrap the book, include a card letting the person know the gift is from you, and ship it – all free!

Sound good? I hope so! Here are the guidelines in simplified form:

1. Submit your nomination of one person who deserves a surprise gift this holiday season. You do not need to give this person’s name.
2. You cannot nominate yourself. (But you can get someone else to!)
3. Include your name and a valid email address.
4. Nominations are open between 8:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, December 3 and midnight EST on Wednesday December 7.
5. Due to shipping time, I have to restrict this to people living within the U.S.
6. The person you nominate needs to be at least 16 years of age.

That’s it. Please help me be a Santa’s Helper this year by nominating someone you care about.

October is Domestic Abuse Awareness month. For the entire month, I am dedicating my blog to help shine the light on this epidemic. I have some of the bravest, strongest, most intelligent abuse survivors coming up as guests throughout this month. Their stories are both shocking and inspiring. My hope is that their stories will help educate the public. But, mostly, I’m hoping that these stories will help save at least one woman, child or man from enduring what my guests have had to live through.

My novel Enemies and Playmates centers on the theme of domestic abuse. I’ve been criticized for making the abuse scenes in this book too graphic, despite having toned it down considerably in rewrites prior to publishing. I’ve also been told that it’s not realistic, that a woman and mother would never put up with what went on in the Covington family. But what I’ve written as fiction doesn’t come close to the reality of some women’s lives. Abuse, both psychological and physical, is often a slow process, creeping up on the woman and making her feel worthless.

Of course, domestic abuse isn’t only about women. Children suffer from one or more abusive parents and family members. Occasionally men suffer at the hands of their spouse or girlfriend. And the psychological impact is absolutely not limited to the person being abused. Everyone in the family suffers. Here are a few facts to consider:

1 in 4 women in the U.S. will be a victim of domestic abuse at some point in her life.

Women accounted for 85% of the victims of intimate partner violence, men for approximately 15%.

Between 600,000 and 6 million women are victims of domestic violence each year, and between 100,000 and 6 million men, depending on the type of survey used to obtain the data. (Due to social stigma, men are much less likely to come forward and report abuse.)

On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.

Studies suggest that between 3.3 – 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.

In honor of this month, I’ve made the ebook download of Enemies and Playmates free for all who want to read it.

Here is the book on Amazon, in both print and Kindle format:

You can also find it in print and for Nook on Barnes and Noble and in ebook format on Smashwords, Sony’s Reader Store, Kobo and Apple’s iBookstore.

If you know a woman, child or man whom you suspect is suffering from domestic abuse, please don’t sit back in silence. Reach out to that person. You could save a life.

I hope you’ll check back each Monday and Thursday throughout the month to meet my guests and read their stories. They are incredible people and I am honored to know them all.

Do you need help or know someone who does?
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides anonymous and confidential help 24/7:
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
1-800-787-3224 (TTY)

Thanks for reading.

Ever have a song get stuck in your head? A line or two of lyrics playing on a loop through your mind until it becomes a silent mantra? Annoying as that can be, sometimes it also provides inspiration.

My music addiction rivals my book addiction. If I’m not writing or reading, I’m listening to music. Some music lovers barely acknowledge lyrics. For me, the lyrics make the song.

When I write, I step inside my characters’ personalities. I need to feel what they’d feel, so that I can present them to my readers as a three-dimensional person, not just a character on a page. While writing my novel Enemies and Playmates, I had a relatively minor character whose impact on the story turned out to be much larger than his small part. His name is Stephen and he is the younger brother of Lauren, the main character.

Stephen’s character ran a loop in my mind with the lyrics from two songs. The lyrics drove his character, as much as his character sparked the endless loop of the lyrics in my mind. The first was a line from The Struggle Within, a Metallica song from their Black album – Home is not a home it becomes a hell… Turning it into your prison cell. The other was a song called Fade from the Break the Cycle album by Staind. That entire song, in my mind, became Stephen’s song. I could hear him singing it, see him living it. One line from that song – But I never meant to fade away – became Stephen’s plaintive cry.

I don’t know whether the songs sparked the character or Stephen’s character made me pay closer attention to the lyrics in those songs. I’m also not sure that it matters. Lyrics are pieces of a story. When I listen to a well written song, I can see that story play out in front of me. Sometimes it becomes more than a 3 to 5 minute vignette.

I am sure that what I visualize is most often not the same vision that inspired the song’s writer. However, that’s often the beauty of words. They can be many different things to many different people. It’s all in how we listen. Or how we read.

Free stuff always gets attention, doesn’t it?

I am currently giving away downloads of my romantic suspense novel Enemies and Playmates! You can download the e-book free on Smashwords and on Scribd. This is temporary giveaway. I haven’t decided how long I’ll let it run, so download Enemies and Playmates soon!

I’ve also uploaded my other five novels onto Scribd and they are now available as e-book purchases on that site!

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DarciaHelle

http://www.scribd.com/darciah